THE shortage of professionals in the cybersecurity industry will be the headline discussion at an online conference on Friday, October 15. The conference headliners will include Ali Abbas Mehboob Hirji — Durham College; Raphael Adeyemo — International Association of Certified Cybersecurity Professionals; Christopher Nelson — Cybersecurity for Everyone, from Canada; Mary N Chaney — Minorities in Cybersecurity, from the USA; and Angela DeFreitas — Choices Caribbean, from Jamaica.

A survey conducted by the International Association of Certified Cybersecurity Professionals shows that only three per cent of cyber analysts are African Americans and 14 per cent are women. Accordingly, the disparity between races, genders and ethnic backgrounds could be a result of a lack of knowledge amongst these groups on how to pursue their career. Some 77 per cent of security professionals surveyed said that information security was never offered as part of their educational curriculum, making it extremely difficult for people interested in cybersecurity to understand the what is the best career path.

The conference will cover the topics ‘Why is cybersecurity a good career?’, ‘Requirements necessary to work in the cybersecurity industry’, ‘Exploring the pros and cons of working in cyber security’, and ‘Education and certification requirements to work in cybersecurity’.